Ex-Laker D'Angelo Russell delivers 4-word praise to Kentucky signee Jasper Johnson amid stellar MVP campaign

Former LA Lakers star D'Angelo Russell praised Kentucky Wildcats commit guard Jasper Johnson after his MVP-caliber performances in the Overtime Elite league. The 18-year-old has averaged over 23 points in the last five games.

The Overtime Elite league's social media handle posted a series of pictures highlighting Johnson's accolades in the last four games. The post also alluded to his MVP chances.

Kentucky native Russell commended the talented guard's elite performances.

"Keep that Swagg high," he wrote.

Russell's comment [Credit: IG/@ote]

Johnson plays for the RWE team in the Overtime Elite league. He had offers from several other teams like Alabama, North Carolina and Illinois before he signed with Kentucky.

Johnson averages 21.3 points per game this season, shooting 60.7%, including 38.1% from the 3-point line. He has been equally adept in distributing and defending. He averages 5.3 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

D'Angelo Russell's former Lakers teammate Nick Young seemingly sent a strong message after trade to Nets

Earlier this season, the Lakers decided to part ways with D'Angelo Russell, trading him alongside Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets (his former team) in exchange for Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith.

After Russell was traded to the Nets, Nick Young seemingly made a post directed at Russell, on X, formerly known as "Twitter."

"AND STAY OUT," Young wrote. "Dnt bring yo ass back to LA."

Russell played the first two seasons of his career with the Lakers with Young. The two had a big public fallout after Russell allegedly recorded a video of Young talking about other women while he was engaged to singer Iggy Azalea, which somehow became public without anyone's knowledge.

After the video was leaked, Azalea broke off her engagement with Young. However, after the fallout, Young said that the two former friends would eventually have peace. However, the former NBA player's latest tweet was nowhere near peaceful.

D'Angelo Russell was drafted second overall by the Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons with the Lakers before being traded to the Nets for the 2027–18 season. Russell returned to the Lakers for the 2022-23 season after having previously played for the Nets, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

In five seasons with the Lakers, Russell averaged 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.